Surging Archers, Tams eye share of UAAP lead

AIMING to reclaim a share of the top spot, La Salle and Far Eastern University tackle separate opponents with both hoping to flash the same sharp form in their big UAAP wins last week.

The Green Archers, who are coming off a gritty 88-86 triumph over rival Ateneo, try to stretch their winning streak to seven against the struggling University of the Philippines in men’s basketball at 2 p.m. today at Mall of Asia Arena.

“We don’t look at [the standings of the] teams, our attitude is always the same,” said La Salle coach Juno Sauler. “And Jeron [Teng] as our team captain has been there. He’s the leader of the team, he makes sure everyone is focused.”

The Tamaraws—who also showed spunk in their 74-70 overtime win over National University last week—clash with University of Santo Tomas  at 4 p.m.

“We improve every game and the trust in the team is growing,” said FEU coach Nash Racela. “That will help us down the road.”

Victories by the defending champion Archers and the Tamaraws will put them back in the lead with the Ateneo Blue Eagles, who tote a 7-2 record.

The Archers, who have been dealing with injuries on key players the past weeks, expect starting center Arnold Van Opstal to return to action against the Maroons.

Thomas Torres, though, remains on the injury list due to a fractured foot, with Sauler noting there’s still “no definite date” on his starting point guard’s return.

The Tamaraws, meanwhile, will still have Racela at the sidelines today and on Wednesday versus the Archers before he leaves for Spain to join Gilas Pilipinas.